Office and administrative support occupations (the largest occupational group) comprised 22.6 million jobs in 2010 and are projected to add the most new jobs, 2.3 million through 2020, as the group grows by 10.3 percent. The majority of this job growth, however, represents a recovery of jobs lost during the recession.

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations are projected to add 2.0 million new jobs from 2010 to 2020, the second most of any major group. The healthcare practitioners and technical occupations growth rate of 25.9 percent from 2010 to 2020 is the third fastest.

Sales and related occupations are projected to add 1.9 million new jobs from 2010 to 2020 as this large occupational group grows at a 12.5-percent rate. More than half of the new jobs projected between 2010 and 2020 will be for retail sales workers, such as cashiers.

The healthcare support occupations group is projected to be the fastest growing occupational group from 2010 to 2020, growing by 34.5 percent and creating 1.4 million new jobs.

Personal care and service occupations are expected to grow by 26.8 percent, second fastest of all groups, as they add 1.3 million new jobs from 2010 to 2020.

The smallest major occupational group in 2010 was farming, fishing, and forestry occupations, which had only 972,100 jobs. It is also the only group expected to experience declining employment, projected to lose 19,400 jobs, or 2.0 percent, through 2020.

Self-employment in the United States
Trends in self-employment by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including both the unincorporated and the incorporated self-employed, as well as data on paid employees who work for the self-employed.